


Birthday Boy

by hydraxx



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Birthday Party, Established Relationship, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Nonbinary Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-19
Updated: 2015-12-19
Packaged: 2018-05-07 16:33:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5463476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hydraxx/pseuds/hydraxx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex Hamilton's friends love birthday parties. When they realize he hasn't had one with them, a plan emerges.</p><p>In response to this prompt from hamiltonprompts: "Modern AU where Alexander doesn’t celebrate his birthday because he never saw the point in it since everyone around him just kept dying. He doesn’t tell the gang Laf/Herc/Laurens/Schuylers/etc. when his birthday is even though they keep pestering him. They find out anyways and throw him a surprise party. Ham can react good or bad, it’s up to the author."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Birthday Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Two fics in 14 hours? You betcha.
> 
> This one actually took some research! Everyone's birthdays:
> 
> Alexander: January 11  
> Angelica: February 20  
> Eliza: August 9  
> Lafayette: September 6  
> John: October 28  
> Hercules: December 26
> 
> All but Mulligan's are historically accurate. I couldn't find anything other than his birth year, so I made the date up for plot reasons.

**September 6: Lafayette's birthday**

 

It wasn’t until the beginning of his sophomore year that Alexander Hamilton’s friends realized none of them knew his birthday.

It was early September. John and Mulligan were gathering up empty bottles from Lafayette’s twenty-first birthday party when John suddenly gasped. Mulligan glanced up at his friend, eyebrows cocked in a question.

“Shit,” John breathed. “Oh my god. Hammie never had a birthday.”

Mulligan looked confused for a moment – a state not helped by his lingering hangover – before he fully comprehended John’s words.

“Wasn’t it over the summer?" 

John shook his head. “Not what I meant. None of us know his birthday. You know Eliza, she doesn’t let anyone get away without an emoji flood and a ridiculous cake, but she never said anything! And Laf looks for any excuse to plan a party, I can’t believe they would let it go without something to mark the occasion.”

The trash bag in Mulligan’s hand slumped to the ground. “Shit, you’re totally right. Text him, ask what it is.”

John complied.

 

 **John <3** to **Alex :*** , 12:54PM

_baby when is your birthday?? me and herc totally just realized we never did a party_

 

Radio silence. John went back to cleaning up the apartment. Alex was probably busy; he usually spent Saturdays in the library and was terrible at responding to texts while working. He’d get the date out of him later, one way or another.

 

* * *

 

**October 28: John's birthday**

 

By the time October and his own party rolled around, John had hardly forgotten his mission to find out Alexander’s birthday. He had, in fact, spent the last month and a half trying various schemes to wheedle the information from his boyfriend. Some were more subtle than others. Alex immediately saw through the attempt to make him confess during Truth or Dare. When John called one afternoon asking for his birthdate for a website registration, however, Alex paused with a response on the tip of his tongue before saying, “Do you really not put in January 1 like the rest of the world? You have to be careful with cybersecurity, John.”

All in all, the ordeal had been somewhat frustrating. John, like Eliza, loved birthdays and was eager to celebrate his boyfriend’s day, which was why he’d concocted this latest plan.

After John’s extravagant party (really, no one could outdo Lafayette and their spectacular event planning abilities), the two stumbled back to their apartment for an extended celebration. Alex unlocked the front door while John laid sloppy kisses along his neck and collarbone. The smaller man moaned quietly in anticipation, finally throwing the door open and practically falling into the living room.

John wasted no time once inside. He immediately stripped off his jacket and shirt and tossed Alex’s keys aside. Alex pulled off his own coat and shirt as his giggling boyfriend tugged them both toward the bedroom. John tumbled onto the bed. His dark curls tangled around him and Alex marveled for a moment at the beautiful man before him. How had he gotten so lucky as to find love in John Laurens?

Impatient, John sat up and grabbed Alexander’s hands to pull him down as well. Alex grinned and dove in for a ferocious kiss. Their hands roamed over each other’s warm bodies, reveling in the feeling of intimacy.

Alex pulled away for a moment, again taking in the sight of his breathless boyfriend. “God, I love you,” he whispered, eyes wide and lips swollen.

John laughed a little self-consciously. “Well, it is my birthday,” he said. “You’d be kind of a shit if you didn’t.”

His boyfriend shook his head. John noticed strands of hair escaping Alex’s previously neat ponytail and reached out to remove the elastic. Alex hummed happily as John ran his hands across his scalp, then spoke again.

“I love you every day, John Laurens. So much it hurts.”

There was a curious furrow in Alexander’s brow, and it seemed to John that he was on the verge of tears. In his tipsy state, his only thought was to kiss it away.

“I love you, too, Alex,” he murmured. Now – now was the moment for his genius plan – “And on _your_ birthday I’ll show you just how much.”

One corner of Alex’s mouth turned down sourly.

“Please tell me?” John asked desperately. “Please? It’s just a date, I just want to know, we’ve been together almost a year now and I don’t even know when your birthday is –”

Alex shook his head again, more forcefully this time, actually refusing to answer John’s request. “Not now,” he said, and kissed his boyfriend with even more passion. 

John’s plan was forgotten for the rest of the night.

 

* * *

 

**December 26: Mulligan's birthday**

 

Two months later, still no progress had been made in learning Alexander’s birthday. Eliza was starting to despair of ever knowing. She had been sending John irritated texts from Albany for the last week.

 

 **Betsey** to **Jack** , 2:37PM

_when is the party starting?_

_have you gotten alex to talk yet?_

_I NEED TO KNOW HIS BIRTHDAY._

_party planning takes time! ask lafayette!!_

**Jack** to **Betsey** , 3:06PM

_festivities commence at 8_

_i’m running out of ideas hon_

**Betsey** to **Jack** , 3:08PM

_sit on him._

**Jack** to **Betsey** , 3:13PM

_???_

**Betsey** to **Jack** , 3:14PM

_I’M FRUSTRATED._

**Jack** to **Betsey** , 3:17PM

_i know hon_

_i’ll get laf to work on him later when they’re not threatening me with streamer-hanging duty_

_who does this much decorating for a 4person party_

**Betsey** to **Jack** , 3:25PM

_oh don’t forget to pick up the cake! angie and i ordered a special one since we can’t be there._

**Jack** to **Betsey** , 3:42PM

_there better not be rainbow sprinkles on this one_

**Jack** to **Betsey** , 4:01PM

_ELIZA_

**Betsey** to **Jack** , 4:09PM

_no promises :*_

**Jean** to **Laf** , 5:11PM

_eliza got rainbow cake again._

_tu dois parler à alex_ [you have to talk to alex]

_we gotta find out the dude’s birthday_

**Laf** to **Jean** , 5:15PM

 _merde_ [shit]

 

By the end of the night, Lafayette’s apartment was covered in empty bottles, ripped streamers, and rainbow sprinkles. Alex was curled up at one end of the sofa with a beer in hand. John sprawled in an armchair, dozing. Lafayette and Mulligan were giggling as they walked out of the kitchen.

Mulligan flung himself down on the couch, forcing Alexander to sit upright and clutch at his beer to prevent its spilling.

“Maaaan, I used to hate my birthday, but this is somethin’!” the larger man slurred. “It sucks being the day after Christmas, y’know? Like, fuckin’ nobody remembered. Even my parents gave me combo gifts. So it’s like, now I got friends around who wanna do both? It rocks, man."

Alex, quite drunk himself, just nodded somberly. The conversation captured John’s attention from the armchair and he raised himself to one elbow.

“Dude,” he said, “I always had awesome birthdays. If you gotta be right up on a holiday, Halloween is the place to be. Costume parties an’ shit…” He eyed his boyfriend a little too closely to be completely earnest, but Alex was too absorbed in his beer to notice.

“Dude, Alex,” Mulligan said. “You ever had those problems?” Alex just shrugged.

Lafayette sighed from the kitchen door. This was really getting nowhere.

 

* * *

 

**January 11: Alex's birthday**

 

“JOHN!” Eliza shrieked down the phone. “I GOT IT! I GOT HIS BIRTHDAY!”

John winced and held the device away from his ear. “Wait, what? You actually found out? How?!”

Eliza’s effervescent laugh bubbled down the line. “He left his wallet on the table when he went to get more coffee at breakfast, so I just snuck a peek at his license.”

John grinned. “I can’t believe I never thought of that! He would probably frown at you for violating privacy or some shit, but who cares, what’s the date?”

“That’s the thing,” Eliza said hesitantly. “Um, it’s today?”

She was met with stunned silence.

“John?”

“Well, crap,” he muttered. “That’s gonna make party planning a bitch.”

 

 **Eliza** to **Lafayette** , 8:24AM

_LAF WE HAVE A PARTY TO PLAN_

**Lafayette** to **Eliza** , 8:55AM

 _pour qui?_ [for who?]

 **Eliza** to **Lafayette** , 8:55AM

_alex’s birthday is TODAY_

**Lafayette** to **Eliza** , 8:56AM

_merde_

_meet me outside the student center in ten minutes_

 

John and Alexander’s apartment was the obvious choice for party venue, as Alex was unlikely to be coaxed anywhere else after the first day of classes. John was assigned to keep the birthday boy in the library until 6 while their friends set up.

 

 **Jack** to **Betsey** , 4:41PM

_still buried in work_

_why does he start all his papers the first day_

_he’s so hardworking_

_i love him_

**Betsey** to **Jack** , 4:45PM

_yes we know._

**Jack** to **Betsey** , 4:48PM

_hush_

 

Knowing his boyfriend’s tendency to work long past his promised stopping point, John started prodding to leave half an hour before they really needed to.

“Hey, Alex,” he said, nudging the shorter man to break his concentration. Alex glanced over. “Let’s get out of here early tonight, okay? Celebrate the first day of the semester, make dinner, all that jazz. I stuck a bottle of wine in the fridge yesterday.”

Alex nodded. “Give me fifteen more minutes on this paper.”

Twenty minutes later, John got Alexander’s attention again. “Baby, wrap it up. I’m hungry.” Alex quickly typed a few more lines, then started shuffling papers into his backpack.

“Do you want to start something on Netflix tonight? I know you wanted to see _Master of None_.”

John grinned. “Are you suggesting Netflix and chill? Because I’m always down for that, baby.”

 

 **Jack** to **Betsey, Laf, Herculeeeeeees** , 6:03PM

_we’re on the way_

_hide_

 

As the two men approached their apartment, John grew increasingly excited. He kept leaning down to plant kisses on Alex’s dark hair and squeezing him close in little hugs. Alex was absorbed in checking his phone when they reached the door, so John pulled out his own keys.

“Hey, baby,” he said nonchalantly, turning his key in the lock. “I hope you’re still down for the chill half of Netflix and chill later, because –” the door clicked open and John whispered in Alex’s ear “– I’d hate for you to miss out on birthday sex.”

Alex froze. _No. John couldn’t know._

“SURPRISE!” Eliza, Angelica, Lafayette, and Mulligan leapt out from behind the living room furniture as John flipped the light switch. Alex stared in disbelief at the brightly decorated room. John turned to see his boyfriend’s reaction but was met with a blank expression. Then, slowly, Alex began to shake his head.

When John moved toward him he could hear his boyfriend whispering, “No. No, no, no.” He tried to pull Alex into a hug but the smaller man bolted for the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

The five friends glanced at each other in confusion.

“I think we fucked up,” John said quietly.

Once John had ushered their friends to the kitchen and poured a glass of water for Alex, he slowly opened the bedroom door.

“Baby?” he called softly. “Alex? I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what was up with the birthday thing, I thought you were just shy about it –” His apology was cut short by a muffled sob from the bed. Alex was curled up, backpack dumped on the floor, face buried in John’s pillow.

John crossed the room in two strides. He set the water glass on his nightstand and climbed into bed next to his boyfriend.

“Shh, baby, shh,” he murmured as Alex continued to shake with tears. “I am so sorry.”

Alex raised his tearstained face to look at his boyfriend, who was now rubbing soothing circles into his back.

“John, please,” he whispered. “I don’t – you don’t need to be here. I can handle this.”

John scowled in what he hoped was a loving way. “Are you kidding? You just broke down because of a surprise birthday party. You don’t have to tell me what that’s about, but I’m damn sure gonna be here to help you through it.” Alex covered his face with the pillow again.

Alex said something, but his words were so obscured by the pillow that John had to lean down and raise his chin. “What was that, baby?” John asked gently.

Alex sniffed and closed his eyes momentarily, apparently steeling himself. “I… don’t do my birthday. I haven’t since my dad left.”

John started mentally kicking himself. _Shit. Shit shit shit. Alex had such an awful childhood, of course he wouldn’t want crap like a birthday party, it probably reminds him of so much shit…_

“And then,” Alex continued, not looking at his boyfriend, “it just became a reminder of… you know, everyone I lost. People around me always die. My mom died. My baby sister died. My cousin died. And it seemed like it wasn’t fair to keep having a birthday when they were gone. Like there was no point.”

John’s eyes were filling with tears. He pulled Alex in to his chest, letting the smaller man weep into his shirt. He rested his lips against Alex’s smooth hair and rocked them both back and forth slightly.

After fifteen minutes of silence from the bedroom, the four friends in the kitchen sent Eliza to find out what was happening. She knocked hesitantly on the door. “Um, John? Alex?”

John answered her call, cracking the door open to reveal reddened eyes and a forlorn look. “Hang on a minute, Liza.” She nodded and he closed the door again.

“Alex,” John said, walking back over to the bed. “Everyone is still here. Do you want them to go? 

Alex drew a few shuddering breaths, thinking it through. He didn’t want to kick everyone out of the apartment; they had been thoughtful in planning the party, even if he didn’t appreciate it like they expected. He settled on a decision.

“They can stay,” he told John. “I don’t want a party, though. Just… hanging out is okay. No decorations or anything. No birthday stuff.”

John nodded. “Of course. Give me a few minutes and I’ll come get you when it’s safe to come out, okay?”

Alex gave him a watery smile. “Okay. And, John?”

His boyfriend turned back and raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“The Netflix and chill offer still stands.”

**Author's Note:**

> Note about the "baby sister" that Alex mentions: some historians speculate that his mother lost another child in infancy, which later allowed him the level of empathy to compose an elegy from the perspective of a grieving mother.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr @hydraxx. Bring questions, comments, requests, feels, headcanons, etc.


End file.
